TORONTO -- Here they go again in Leaf land, Toronto fans getting all worked up about nothing. Rumblings out of Toronto Maple Leafs camp point towards Nazem Kadri needing more time to develop, and Toronto is abuzz with words like 'flop' and 'bust'. Leave it to the uber-opinionated and rabid Blue and White fan base to jump all over a 19-year-old kid for not being ready for prime time.

The seventh overall pick of the 2009 NHL entry draft has the skills to play in the NHL, but many say he doesn't yet have the physical makeup. Kadri worked hard this offseason to add muscle to his slight stature in hopes of starting training camp with a bang, but has found it harder to adapt to the rigors of the NHL game than one would have hoped.

There aren't many 19-year-old players physically ready to make an impact at the NHL level. Sure there are exceptions, but they usually fall within the top two or three picks of a draft. These draftees are the blue-chippers like John Tavares and Steven Stamkos.

Kadri isn't a blue chipper, not by a long shot. One can't forget where Kadri was chosen in the draft when looking at why he might be in tough to make the big club this season.

At seventh overall he's in the company of draft picks like Colin Wilson (2008, Nashville Predators), Jakub Voracek (2007, Columbus Blue Jackets), Kyle Okposo (2006, New York Islanders) and Jack Skille (2005, Chicago Blackhawks). Out of the four players mentioned above, only Okposo and Voracek have carved out solid spots with their NHL clubs. Voracek played play a full season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in his draft year before a full season in the NHL where he put up 38 points in 80 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Okposo played a full season at the University of Minnesota in his draft year and only nine games in the NHL with the New York Islanders the following season. It wasn't until the 2008-09 season that he broke out in the NHL with 39 points in 65 games. Both Skille and Wilson are looking at full-time spots in the NHL as a possibility after good training camps this fall, and have had to wait for their chance.

All is not lost for the young Kadri if one looks at the situation with a proper perspective. Sure, it's been a tough road for him over the last month with the expectations of the team's future unfairly heaped on his young 188-pound frame. But a season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies could only help Kadri.

The worst thing the Leafs could do is rush him along, especially at the center position. Playing center in the NHL comes with great responsibility and even 2010 second-overall pick Tyler Seguin has been put on the wing in the preseason by the Boston Bruins in order to temper expectations.

So, why have the dreams and expectations of an entire city fallen on the shoulders of a teen among men? Why is Kadri the make-or-break player in a year that is supposed to be about rebuilding and not winning?

Because Brian Burke traded away the franchise's 2010 and 2011 first-round picks to the Bruins to acquire Phil Kessel, and Kadri is the only high draft pick left in the organization. Kadri must wear the organizational crown, albeit unfairly, as the Bruins reap Tyler Seguin as a reward from the trade.

It doesn't matter if Kessel scores 40 goals this year, Toronto fans will always re-hash what they could have had. And should the Leafs endure another tough season and another top-three pick going to the Bruins, people in Toronto will call for Burke's resignation.

It is critical that Leafs brass commits to a long-term plan with their young prize and not listen to outside influence when making their decision on whether to keep Kadri or send him away for seasoning.

If he isn't ready, he wouldn't be the first youngster in need of further development, and he won't be the last.